Why is Android 12 So Buggy? (theverge.com) 80
Android 12 is one of the platform's most ambitious updates in recent history, bringing a major design overhaul to every corner of the operating system. It has also been one of the rockiest Android OS launches in the past few years. From a report: Both Samsung and OnePlus paused the rollout of their stable Android 12-based updates amid reports of serious bugs. Google itself has addressed a laundry list of bug reports from Pixel 6 owners, just as it's trying to convince them it's finally figured out how to build a truly premium phone. What in the heck is going on? The short answer is that there are some unique complicating factors at play this year but also that Android is inherently a little bit messy -- that just comes with the territory when you're designing a delightful public park compared to Apple's walled garden. Despite a refreshed look and some appealing new high-end handsets, Android is still Android -- the good and the bad.
To try and figure out what the heck is going on, we talked to Mishaal Rahman, former editor-in-chief of XDA Developers, who's well known for digging into Android codebases and discovering Google's secrets. Speaking to the Pixel 6 bugs in particular, Rahman guesses that it has a lot to do with the unusually large size of the update. "Many people have called it, myself included, the biggest OS update to Android since Android 5.0 Lollipop, and that was many years ago. There are just so many massive changes to the interface and to the feature set." He also suggests that Google's commitment to issue a new Android update every year can make things worse when it's trying to do so much, and the self-imposed one-year development cycle doesn't leave much wiggle room in the timeline. "They started immediately after Android 11 was released to the public -- and they have a hard cutoff date... After that, they just focus on fixing bugs." Delay any longer, and they'd risk bumping into next year's development cycle.
It's also possible that the attempt to bring timely Android updates to non-Google devices wound up backfiring. Android phone owners have been asking for faster updates for a long time -- outside of Google's Pixel phones and pricey flagships, many devices face long waits for OS updates. Sure enough, the updates have come faster this year. Case in point: Samsung users are accustomed to waiting about three months after an Android stable release to get their finished One UI update with the new version of the OS, but this year, One UI 4.0 arrived just one and a half months after Android 12. But the way things have gone this year, many users would likely have opted for a slower, stable update rather than a fast one riddled with bugs.
To try and figure out what the heck is going on, we talked to Mishaal Rahman, former editor-in-chief of XDA Developers, who's well known for digging into Android codebases and discovering Google's secrets. Speaking to the Pixel 6 bugs in particular, Rahman guesses that it has a lot to do with the unusually large size of the update. "Many people have called it, myself included, the biggest OS update to Android since Android 5.0 Lollipop, and that was many years ago. There are just so many massive changes to the interface and to the feature set." He also suggests that Google's commitment to issue a new Android update every year can make things worse when it's trying to do so much, and the self-imposed one-year development cycle doesn't leave much wiggle room in the timeline. "They started immediately after Android 11 was released to the public -- and they have a hard cutoff date... After that, they just focus on fixing bugs." Delay any longer, and they'd risk bumping into next year's development cycle.
It's also possible that the attempt to bring timely Android updates to non-Google devices wound up backfiring. Android phone owners have been asking for faster updates for a long time -- outside of Google's Pixel phones and pricey flagships, many devices face long waits for OS updates. Sure enough, the updates have come faster this year. Case in point: Samsung users are accustomed to waiting about three months after an Android stable release to get their finished One UI update with the new version of the OS, but this year, One UI 4.0 arrived just one and a half months after Android 12. But the way things have gone this year, many users would likely have opted for a slower, stable update rather than a fast one riddled with bugs.
Alan Kay said it best (Score:2)
It is certainly true in the case of mobile OSes. As a mobile developer, I can tell you that the hodgepodge of 3000+ Android devices (not a typo) from a dozen major manufacturers that all put their own spin on AndroidOS means that things will break. Sometimes a lot of things. While some may find Apple's first-party premium on hardware distasteful, it absolutely does create a higher caliber software experience.
Re:Alan Kay said it best (Score:5)
On the other hand: The version of iOS 13 that’s shipping out to customers today feels rushed out the door. Between my own tests and those of other Verge staffers, we’ve run into a lot of significant bugs: apps randomly crash when opening them, cellular signals drop, the Camera app can be slow, pictures have randomly gotten new dates assigned to them, AirDrop has had issues, the text field flips out sometimes in iMessages, and more.
That's from a Verge article [theverge.com] that's linked by TFA.
Re: Alan Kay said it best (Score:2)
I've got a 4a 5g, no notable problems with Android 12 other than my call recorder app doesn't work, but the developer hasn't updated it in a very long time. It's an app that doesn't exactly stick to documented APIs, so not surprising that a big update would break it.
No road back. (Score:5, Interesting)
The frustrating part for me is that I got stuck with Android 12 after voluntarily hitting the upgrade button, and yet I have no way to roll back to 11 without completely wiping an rebuilding my phone in a very lengthy process and just generally wasting a ton of my time. Not that Android 12 doesn't plenty of my time, on a daily basis.
I wish there was some way to convince these companies to allow a downgrade period. I know that it's technically possible, because you could do so with the beta. Them not offering it to us in a general release is for what? Bragging rights for how many people have upgraded? I would think that would be secondary to bragging rights in user satisfaction.
Re: No road back. (Score:1)
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I always make a point to only upgrade iOS devices to one of the last minor releases before a new major release comes out since I'm more concerned with stability than new features...
Re: No road back. (Score:2)
I think it's mainly to be able to have developers generally targeting the same API level. But there's not really much to Android's UI to begin with, unless you spend a lot of time in the settings app, or the notification shade. Everything else is just however the app you're using wants to present itself. That includes your home screen, app drawer, etc, which are all just part of the launcher app, which you can replace. I've been using Nova launcher for years, so pretty much all android updates have looked p
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Same for iOS except Apple won't let you install older versions from scratch too. :(
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I have no way to roll back to 11 without completely wiping an rebuilding my phone in a very lengthy process and just generally wasting a ton of my time. [...] I wish there was some way to convince these companies to allow a downgrade period.
They are going to take the time to make an OTA upgrade that doesn't require a factory reset. But they're not going to take the time to make a downgrade that doesn't, which is impossible without storing your old files on your device, and which would take a lot of extra work and QA. Some companies provide factory images so at least you can reset your device to an older version without having to get the image from XDA-devs or similar, but you're always going to have to wipe the device.
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It's shit QA, not because it's not a walled garden (Score:4)
Bad software is released because companies have bad QA. It has nothing to do with walled garden or "a public park." That sort of comparison is just bullshit apologists at work.
And in any case Apple has had QA problems for years as well. As software gets more complicated, it gets harder to test. It's up to your QA department to rise to the challenge.
Maybe they did something dumb, like make QA a part of the development team. That generally leads to poor software outcomes, because the decision to ship is left to development.
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If they wanted to make big changes it would've served well to release 2 years after the last version instead of one.
Also, but this is more of an old-man rant: Why do they have to keep changing the UI so often? It seems more for marketing reasons (new!, different!) than for usability reasons. Because most of those big changes don't actually bring improvements to many people and some bring regressions/loss of functionality.
After so many years fo
It's not just bugs. (Score:5, Insightful)
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That!
They don't seem to evaluate whether something is working, just whether it can be done "differently".
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
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Google used to be run by really clever engineers.
But over time, as with any large organization, it becomes run by people that are really clever about becoming senior managers, and like promotes like.
Re: It's not just bugs. (Score:2)
Yep it is the buggiest because it came after Android 11 which was the by far buggiest release before 12. And Google will try to reduce bugs be shorting release cycles making things even worse, because that is just how they operate now.
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I thought there might be a case of me getting downvoted for my 'sticking with Android 9' post I just made but based on this post and the replies to it, sounds like I'm on the money.
I don't like the look and feel of Android 10, I haven't even seen 11 or 12. I just know it seems to be worse each time nowadays.
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Any automobile company. Yep, just checked - steering wheel, brake, gas, all in the same place as last year (and the year before...).
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> Google has a "change for change's"
Sorta. Android was never a good platform but Google bought it anyway. They've been making it more linux-like and less like a java fever dream, breaking things as they go. ALSA would be one example. LUKS another. But, yeah, that needs a level of QA they don't have.
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It's not just bugs, people also hate the UI changes. Google has a "change for change's" sake mentality, and no adult supervision.
It's not just Google; Microsoft has been changing Windows constantly, and it's definitely not getting better. I think Apple is a little better in this regard, but they aren't immune either; iOS and MacOS changes still creep in with seemingly little reason for them other than to make the new version look new.
Another day, more Android UI changes (Score:3)
This is *exactly* why I stay on Apple! From one version to the next and one device to another I don't have to relearn where everything is. Not to say IOS necessarily runs better, but it's so frustrating to pick up an Android device, go to settings, and have to guess where shit is because it got moved from Android 10 or 11.
It's almost as if Google bakes its institutional ADD into every product they make.
Re:Another day, more Android UI changes (Score:5, Informative)
The top-level Android Settings screen has a search field.
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Waaay back in 2010 some users learned how to navigate menu hierarchies instead of being gerbils who had to search for the same setting every time they needed it.
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Sure, but you just complained about not being able to find some settings that got moved in the menu hierarchy. The search results are grouped, so you should be able to work out the new location from there (assuming you don't want to just jump to it). Just trying to help...
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But it's a new location in *every version*. And not even moves that make sense. Instead they seem to take the "just search for it" approach.
Microsoft, Apple, Gnome, KDE, etc do not do UIs that way because it's shitty end-user design.
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But it's a new location in *every version*. And not even moves that make sense. Instead they seem to take the "just search for it" approach. Microsoft, Apple, Gnome, KDE, etc do not do UIs that way because it's shitty end-user design.
So when did Microsoft stop? I seem to remember the infamous Ribbon coming along and doing that in spades and then making apparently random changes each version. Items that were on the Control Panel (with good reason) randomly being relocated. Then there was the Metro "Tablet Style" Interface on the desktop for no good reason with Windows 8. So when did they stop the random changes for "fashion/stylistic/S&M" reasons?
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Once upon a time, the goal with redesigns was to make things easier. That was true for Windows 8 as well. There were some good ideas in there, just poorly executed. 10 was a pretty big improvement, and made the start menu much more usable, once you've taken the time to customize it. I found it far more useful than 7, which seems to be the standard by which all start menus are judged.
11, on the other hand, really does seems like change for the sake of change. I can't see how it improves anything. It's
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I'll certainly admit that Microsoft has tried various things over the years. Sure they may have added alternative ways to access various settings, and in Windows 10 there seems at times to be an odd parallel situation going on where some screens don't necessarily show all settings. But at the same time, the control panel has remained the control panel.
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You have it backwards, you are the one being the gerbil here. Navigating the menu by memory is the gerbil searching the maze for setting. It's far more efficient to go directly the setting we want by entering its name; than even trying to memorize the maze.
Re: Another day, more Android UI changes (Score:3)
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Yes, if you don't know the name of the setting you are looking for then you are reduced to searching the menus. That seems pretty reasonable really.
The GPs apparently preferred alternative is to remember the path through the maze and the names of all the sub-menus, so that he doesn't need to remember the name of destination. That doesn't really sound more efficient or reliable does it?
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Yes, if you don't know the name of the setting you are looking for then you are reduced to searching the menus. That seems pretty reasonable really.
The GPs apparently preferred alternative is to remember the path through the maze and the names of all the sub-menus, so that he doesn't need to remember the name of destination. That doesn't really sound more efficient or reliable does it?
I don't have any problems with it on IOS. Or Windows 8 / 10.
Stability in a UI from one version to another is not a bad thing.
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Discoverability. That's gone forever, I fear. It's a real shame...
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Assuming that name hasn't arbitrarily been changed or consolidated into another setting, which is part of Google's "change for the sake of change" behavior that I'm complaining about.
If Google makes setting name changes, what then? You have no choice but to try and hunt and peck until you find what you're looking for. Again, it's shitty design that cares not one whit about consistent user experience. And it doesn't have to be that way.
Look, upon getting a new Android OS version you (or others) may get th
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> It's far more efficient to go directly the setting we want by entering its name
Until it gets renamed.
Also, navigating a menu is 2-3 keystrokes or clicks; how many letters do you have to type (+1 mouse click) to find the action you want?
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I agree the search can help, but it doesn't help when one of the most important settings (app updates) isn't even
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The settings menu is so complicated that the best solution we found is a _text based search_
Am I understanding this correctly?
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It's a shitty solution, but it's better than the Apple Settings menu which is an absolute clusterfuck.
Besides, what did you expect from an OS made by a web search company?
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Coming from Google I expect an OS that regularly shits in its users' mouth. And that's currently with 12 that's exactly what they deliver.
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In which case you have to remember the name of the settings.
As an android user for pass 10 years or so, I still get lost in settings sometimes, trying to figure out where is what or what it is called.
It probably didnt help that I have used 3 or 4 brands of android devices over the years. Each with their own naming and placement schemes in settings.
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The top-level Android Settings screen has a search field.
I guess being a company that was originally built on search, making people search for everything makes sense to them. When enough people stop having to search, it is time to move everything around so people have to search again.
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This is *exactly* why I stay on Apple! From one version to the next and one device to another I don't have to relearn where everything is.
Bullshit. One of my major complaints about iOS (and macOS) is exactly that too many things change with every major update. Settings are routinely moved around or removed, for no good reason. Apple has the exact same problem as all the other big companies - change for change's sake.
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I cannot speak to MacOS, but that has not been my experience on IOS since I-phone 3.
"Moved around" or "removed"? No. Airplane mode, wifi, cellular data toggles, data / privacy settings for apps, GPS settings, etc are all generally in the same place.
Now has Settings been "added to"? Certainly. There is no argument that the settings menu has grown in complexity as features have been added over time. But there have not been wholesale rewrites as has occurred on Android versions 8 - 12.
Because it's trash? (Score:2)
Android 12? Android 11 isn't so great either. (Score:2)
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OnePlus really did a number on their OxygenOS 11 release. It's extra shitty, on top of the regular shitty Android 11. My OnePlus 7 Pro would have call audio coming out of the (loud) bottom speaker when set to not be on speakerphone, but if you turned on speakerphone it would come out the top (ear) speaker. And that was only the start of how shitty their software has become.
Did nobody actually conduct a phone call with this software before shipping?
not so buggy? (Score:1)
Posting from a pixel 3a here, and have been running android 12 without problems since October. Does not seem buggy at all. Same with pixel phones from others I know. Could this be from all the customizations Samsung and other manufacturers make in the OS not playing nice with android 12?
That the wifi/mobile data buttons have changed to something called 'internet', which opens a separate screen with wifi/mobile data buttons, that is rather annoying. Other than that it works fine.
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This is exactly my experience on my Pixel 4a, no bugs but why did they move around settings and add the annoying Internet button to hide two of the buttons I use the most?
Rhetorical (Score:2)
>"Android 12 is one of the platform's most ambitious updates in recent history, bringing a major design overhaul to every corner of the operating system."
>"Why is Android 12 So Buggy?"
I think the posting answered its own question. When you take something stable and perform a "major design overall to every corner" of the code, then of course it is going to be more buggy than releases that did not "overall" the entire thing.
So Glad I'm Not The Only One To Notice (Score:2)
I've been a developer since Cupcake & owner since Eclair of LG, Motorola, OnePlus & multiple Nexus & Pixel phones. This update was the least beneficial & most bug filled I've experienced.
I've fed back more than a dozen bugs in Android 12 (on Pixel 4a 5G).
The message app crashing when receiving a text.
Random screen color change (users don't even have this capability!) requiring a reboot to fix.
Touchscreen alignment issues (ability to calibrate removed years ago).
Do Not Disturb fails to let th
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Really, that's gone? That sucks. So much just gets removed without fanfare. I liked Live Folders (https://www.computerworld.com/article/3239864/android-features-faded.html), available from 1.5 to 4, but apparently not many other folks did :-)
When I was spending more time developing for Android, I'd make sure not to be far behind new versions, but now? I'm still on Android 10, since that's the latest my Nokia will upgrade to, and having seen the Android 12 lock screen, I have no plans to get a new phone that
Even more 'material design' has me on Android 9. (Score:2)
My phone shipped with Android 9 and goes up to 11 if I allow it, however I've seen the 10 and 11 UI changes and decided, nope, I'm good.
The waste of even more screen real estate is horrific, it gets worse with each release.
Also Android 10, 11 ship with a new version of google maps, with the compass removed, which to me, based on how my brain works, is unacceptable, it helps me mentally navigate.
I am eternally, deeply, wildly upset with businesses *CONTINUALLY* changing things for the sake of change and not
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I propose and have proposed for a while now, official "optomise it!" week for ALL SOFTWARE on the planet, once a week.
I can think of no faster way to make software unmaintainable. You should see some of the things I've seen done in the name of optimization. Completely pointless things, mind you, at least as far as the profiler was concerned.
Maybe it can be saved.
"Optimize it ... for readability!"
There's a good chance this will actually help performance as well. The absurd Rube Goldberg machines people like to build aren't exactly known for their efficiency. Come to think of it, there's a good chance this will also red
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The same thing written in a compiled language with a decent UI toolkit would be orders of magnitude faster. Of course, it wouldn't be as portable. But that's just about the only advantadge I can conte
Correction (Score:2)
Android phone owners have been asking for faster updates for a long time -- outside of Google's Pixel phones and pricey flagships, many devices face long waits for OS updates.
That's not what people have been asking for. Timely updates that's what people care about. If Android gets major new releases every three years, who cares? People however absolutely hate when after a new version of Android gets released their OEM drags on for weeks, months and sometimes years before they release their ROM based on the new version. There's no reason to release a new major Android version each 12 months. It's not like mobile OSes are missing some crucial features - instead we're shoved a new
Speaking of Samsung (Score:2)
Maybe Google could get inspired by how they update their UI to add features. So Google could release Android 13 in 2022, then in 2023 they could release Android 13.5, that fixes bugs and adds options to devices with the hardware to support them.
Or call it Android 14 but just make it a stable release with optional bells and whistles.
I don't know anything, but is Google the tail to Qualcomm's dog, and compelled to keep updating Android every year just to support their yearly release cycle?
Paused? (Score:2)
Must have been a short pause.
Me too with my S7+ (Score:2)
sakitech on YouTube has some helpful videos for uncovering features on the S7+, and always has the latest news and guides on Samsung devices, as well as other ones.
https://www.youtube.com/channe... [youtube.com]
It's not just Android. (Score:2)
It's like everyone now. I got sick of doing major upgrades. :(
Becuase (Score:2)
Pixel 3 users got screwed. (Score:2)
Cause they didn't name it for candy (Score:1)
That's why.
Skittles. Snickers. Starburst. Sour Patch Kids. Sixlets. Sugar Daddy. Sweethearts.
Taint that hard to find a candy name that begins with s.
Meta are going to sue for look and feel (Score:2)